


Yarn & Yearn

by JayBarou



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Hands, Knitting, M/M, pinning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 09:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28348986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayBarou/pseuds/JayBarou
Summary: Gerry learns about Michael's little hobby.
Relationships: Gerard Keay/Michael Shelley
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44





	Yarn & Yearn

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, Jay, did you write this just to have a reason to use that title?  
> ...

The whole situation was Gerry's fault, he had nobody else to blame. He was in very deep trouble and he couldn't and wouldn't ask for a way out. He could have stayed away from the archives, he could have kept everyone at arm's reach, and he could have maybe bought earplugs to avoid listening to that laugh. He hadn't, and these were the terrible consequences: he had a crush.

He could have become annoyed of him after some time, he could have done so many things, like asking the guy out, be rejected and be done with the thing. He was probably straight anyway.

But no, instead he had been saying hi from afar for months, indulging in chitchat whenever the guy was around and free. And his worst idea had been the latest: approaching when he caught the guy sitting on a bench in the park near the Institute. It was weird enough to pique his curiosity.

“Hey.”

The guy looked up and startled, but he recovered quickly.

“Oh. Hey, hi. I didn't expect to find you here, Gerard.”

“This is my usual way home, hmm...” 

Gerard was already off to a bad start, they had never been introduced properly. Or if they had, he hadn’t been paying attention at the time. The blond had been “Gertrude’s assistant” for months, “pretty guy in the archives who waves back if I say hi” if it was a good day. They had talked a few times while one of them waited for the archivist, but he had no idea what was the name of the guy in front of him, and apparently, the pretty boy knew him enough to call him by name.

Some people would tiptoe around the issue, Gerry blundered forward with a question.

“What are you doing out here?” 

Michael tensed his smile, but didn’t answer for a few seconds. Gerry was getting very clear signals of how unwelcome he was. He gathered his pride to walk away at the same time as Michael sighed and deflated. He turned his hands, big hands with long fingers, that had been turned down to help hastily hide a pair of big needles and wool. Barely a few lines of wool knots.

“But... it’s cold, your fingers must be going numb.” Gerry frowned. “And that doesn’t explain what you are doing here.”

“To avoid anyone who might mock me.”

“Fuck whoever dares to!” The guy shrugged with just one shoulder, folded the knots and needles together and put them away. It was only then that Gerry noticed the bag, and the thread going to it. He had seen it all from afar, of course, but he hadn't stopped to notice it. Then an idea struck him. 

“But... The archives were empty today. It was only Gertrude and me there aside from you. I can't see Gertrude caring about... Anything really, the callous old... Oh.”

And a second thought struck him. By the blond’s sheepish smile he had hit jackpot. And Gerry knew there were people who couldn’t take any teasing, but Gerry took a chance and threw his hands in the air and stepped back theatrically.

“Me?! Was it because of me?! You thought I would judge you?! What did I do to deserve such a low opinion of my character?!” Gerry saw the confusion in the guy’s face peak, but he didn’t know into what. “I won’t stand for that. Next time I see you in the archives you will have to do your thing in the archives.” Good, the guy was smiling, but now he had nothing else to say and he had made an ass of himself, and he had nothing to say! What was he thinking when he started to talk! And if he stayed quiet for long enough, blond guy would answer and everything would be worse! “No complaining! I want to see that thing tomorrow with you". 

He was pretty sure the guy had been smiling when he had turned and would be still smiling if he turned, but he didn’t. He couldn’t look back like some lame film, he had to look... composed. Gerry Composed Delano, that was him. And he didn’t care what some nameless archivist assistant did or said or thought of him, except he did. he next morning he promptly learned the guy’s name from Rosie, and he went down to the Archives demanding to see Michael’s needles.  
Michael was locked in place only for a moment before taking his bag and opening it discretely, but with a smile. Gerry had once been offered drugs that way. He nodded at the pair of needles and yarn approvingly, but he had absolutely no idea if Michael had progressed at all. Gerry just liked the silly complicity.

Since then, Gerry had made a point of asking what he was working on, or, more likely, what he had started this time without finishing the previous piece. It had become their “good morning”. Michael said he liked Gerry asking because sometimes he would renew his interest in an abandoned project just because Gerry asked about “the circle one”. Gerry now had something to do while he waited for Gertrude better than listening to music and nosing around. Maybe he could admit to himself that he sometimes arrived early on purpose to cajole Michael to knit a few in front of him. 

Gerry enjoyed seeing his long fingers at work. The movement on itself was mesmerizing, but the craft was... secondary. He just had a very weird but very good excuse to look at a very nice pair of hands while he talked to someone he liked. It was not _that_ weird. Then again, he was aware he could describe every detail, from the white milk spots on his nails to the freckle on the side of the ring finger. 

Michael’s insistent tone broke him from his musings.

“I said it is hypnotic, right?”

Fortunately, he didn’t sound annoyed, but he did sound amused. 

“I, huh... Yes. Mesmerizing.” His own hands twitched. Had he been caught staring too longingly?

“Do you want to learn?” Michael didn’t look up from the loops to ask, and Gerry had NO interest in learning.

“Yes!” But still, his mouth ran faster than his thoughts.

He could think coldly, level head, with Gabriel present on a bad day but apparently thinking about hands shot his brains straight to hell. What was he going to do? If he allowed Michael to teach him he could foresee a diminished attention span and Michael’s long fingers correcting the posture of his. Which would be fine, but just even imagining it sent his thoughts to the gutter and made him grow hot. He wouldn’t be able to keep his thoughts still.

His poker face must have slipped, or maybe he had blushed, because he caught Michael’s little smile before looking back down; too knowing for his taste and so pretty. With a sinking heart he thought: “this is not just a bloody crush anymore.” He could only hope it would not progress further than infatuation. 

**Author's Note:**

> BTW, there is a discord, right? Would you accept a lurker? ☺️


End file.
